Politics

[MicrowavedGerbil]

Except my oldest brother who is a new born hardcore Jesus lover who calls democratic people satanic.

[blackcoffee]

I despise trump

That's fine, but do you nuke friendships/relationships due to Trump? Meaning do you have what I've seen "TDS" Trump Derangement Syndrome- where you become unbalanced/manic?
It's weird.

No. Unfortunately in my friend group, they are either white Christians who vote trump or don't know squat about politics. My Hispanic family also have trump fever because they aren't very smart people (not because they are trump supporters but because they don't know politics or how biased media works, so they are exposed to the far right side of things that talk badly of democrats so it must be true). Only democrats around me are my immediate family and parents, brothers and partner.

TDS as a term is a means to refocus the crazy and unhinged—it wasn’t pro-Biden supporters who stormed the capitol. I have unfriended a few people over the years as Trump is a racist and a rapist. I don’t want someone supporting him popping up on my social media feed.

As I study/think about race and white supremacy, I found it fascinating to listen to a program recently on NPR that points to some Latinos seeing support for Trump as way to cease to be othered and put distance between them and Latino identity. In essence, they’re seeking to wholly assimilate into “whiteness” as many European immigrants have done previously—groups whose own identity just become “white” rather than an identity that traces back to any cultural touch point of their origin country. Of course, America wants us all to assimilate, so it makes sense even if it is disturbing to listen to a 3rd gen Mexican American who patrols the border.



Latinos are moving to the far right. Paola Ramos thinks she knows why : Code Switch

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1201499003

[MicrowavedGerbil]

I despise trump

That's fine, but do you nuke friendships/relationships due to Trump? Meaning do you have what I've seen "TDS" Trump Derangement Syndrome- where you become unbalanced/manic?
It's weird.

No. Unfortunately in my friend group, they are either white Christians who vote trump or don't know squat about politics. My Hispanic family also have trump fever because they aren't very smart people (not because they are trump supporters but because they don't know politics or how biased media works, so they are exposed to the far right side of things that talk badly of democrats so it must be true). Only democrats around me are my immediate family and parents, brothers and partner.

TDS as a term is a means to refocus the crazy and unhinged—it wasn’t pro-Biden supporters who stormed the capitol. I have unfriended a few people over the years as Trump is a racist and a rapist. I don’t want someone supporting him popping up on my social media feed.

As I study/think about race and white supremacy, I found it fascinating to listen to a program recently on NPR that points to some Latinos seeing support for Trump as way to cease to be othered and put distance between them and Latino identity. In essence, they’re seeking to wholly assimilate into “whiteness” as many European immigrants have done previously—groups whose own identity just become “white” rather than an identity that traces back to any cultural touch point of their origin country. Of course, America wants us all to assimilate, so it makes sense even if it is disturbing to listen to a 3rd gen Mexican American who patrols the border.



Latinos are moving to the far right. Paola Ramos thinks she knows why : Code Switch

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1201499003

Interesting read. I gotta dive deeper into this. Unfortunately, my younger cousin, who is a millennial, Mexican and under 30, called himself a conservative. Brown conservative In California is absolutely bizarre. He isn't very bright though, and one of the bunch I say don't know about politics. I agree though, religious influence has lots to do with it seeing as conservatives are Christian driven and my entire family are for that. They put christ before their own rights.

[SR]

I live in LA. I'm fairly insulated from maga supporters....gotta head to the south bay and the oc to find large and vocal concentrations of them. But I have met a really high percentage of Latino people in LA who support him. Support among them is down about 20 points from what Biden had 4 years ago. Code switching is as good an explanation as I've heard, and it's being widely adopted as the leading reason. The first one I encountered was 4 or 5 years ago with an ex Vago MC club member...2nd generation from Mexico

[Hokahey]

I live in LA. I'm fairly insulated from maga supporters....gotta head to the south bay and the oc to find large and vocal concentrations of them. But I have met a really high percentage of Latino people in LA who support him. Support among them is down about 20 points from what Biden had 4 years ago. Code switching is as good an explanation as I've heard, and it's being widely adopted as the leading reason. The first one I encountered was 4 or 5 years ago with an ex Vago MC club member...2nd generation from Mexico

I know a number of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants that are ardent Trump supporters. They are also all small business owners. They feel like he is better for business, and they support strong borders because “if we came here the right way they can too.” They also don’t have a lot of nice things to say about the people in their home countries. “We came here for a reason.”

[SR]

3 weeks out and I have real concerns. Malapportionment, misogyny, and racism are hard enough to overcome in this country. Swing states are far less inclined towards a black liberal woman than an old white liberal man. Crazy, if he wins it'll be a miniscule portion of low population states that deliver it. Then, we'll all get what they (and billionaires/oligarchs) deserve.

[kv]

women vote most...and in private...shouldn't be close...but have def been wrong before! we'll get just what we deserve...

[blackcoffee]

The Christian Conservative or the White Nationalists Christians are hard for me to reconcile. I get the white supremacy, but how does a Christian look at basic democratic principles versus republican principles and check that box besides the unspoken?

While I can’t remember the name I listened to a multi episode podcast that tracked the rise of the right on Christian circles. It began because of one man and a direct mail plan he hatched.

[Hokahey]

The Christian Conservative or the White Nationalists Christians are hard for me to reconcile. I get the white supremacy, but how does a Christian look at basic democratic principles versus republican principles and check that box besides the unspoken?

While I can’t remember the name I listened to a multi episode podcast that tracked the rise of the right on Christian circles. It began because of one man and a direct mail plan he hatched.

Abortion. Culture.

[kv]

yup, one side kills babies...it's cut and dry to them

[SR]

yup, one side kills babies...it's cut and dry to them

[mockbee]

The Christian Conservative or the White Nationalists Christians are hard for me to reconcile. I get the white supremacy, but how does a Christian look at basic democratic principles versus republican principles and check that box besides the unspoken?

While I can’t remember the name I listened to a multi episode podcast that tracked the rise of the right on Christian circles. It began because of one man and a direct mail plan he hatched.

Abortion. Culture.

I think more than the abortion issue, as crazy as it sounds, it comes down to a warped 'persecution complex'. As evangelicals have become less and less relevant they have turned to a strong conviction to have a warrior barbarian at the gate, to ward off the invading barbarians. Abortion might be the cudgel, but I don't see it as the cause.

So yes, culture. And I think the persecution complex can explain a lot of the strange bedfellows and why the rancor seems to be a feature to them rather than a fault.

Tim Alberta speaks to this.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/donald- ... vangelical

“[Trump] may not share their views, he may not sit in the pews with them, he may not read the good book like they do, but in some way, that’s his superpower,” Alberta says. “He is free to fight in ways that are, you know, unrestrained, unmoored from biblical virtue. And that relationship with Trump has obviously evolved over the last eight years. What started as this very uneasy alliance for a lot of evangelicals with Trump has now morphed into this situation where, look, desperate times call for desperate measures. The barbarians are at the gates and we need a barbarian to keep them at bay. So when Trump openly flirts with authoritarianism and talks about sort of the power that he will wield to not only defeat his enemies, but to defeat your enemies and that he will be your retribution against them—yes, I mean I think there are lots of, of evangelical Christians who are kind of die-hard Trump supporters who hear that in an explicitly religious, sort of, us-versus-them, good-versus-evil context.”

[Hype]

I think it's simpler than that. People mostly vote by feeling, ideology, and unreflective, often unwitting, prejudice. They might say they're voting for Trump for X, Y, Z reasons. But I'd be willing to bet that if we really looked at it closely, we'd see that a lot of people are just, basically, deep down, prejudiced against women (as leaders), black people, minorities, etc., anyone different from themselves in any way and can't bring themselves to support such people. With Trump, appealing to the fact that he's not like them doesn't work the same way, because he's mastered a way of using that to his advantage. He's a man. He's "Christian", white (orange is a kind of white, I guess), callous, a stoker of fear and anger. But he mobilizes his differences from the base as an advantage for them. Many years ago I pointed out that Americans (people in general, really, but the United States has a deeply religious and historical component to it that makes it stand out among Western democracies) are racist to a degree, but they're way more misogynist. That's a statistical point. And in Harris, we have a combination of Clinton and Obama with a kind of Biden-esque centrist boringness that makes it extremely difficult to imagine her winnng over "undecided" voters.

I think Harris does have a shot at winning, but the electoral college will make it a tossup because the vast majority of people who understand that voting against Trump is more important than agreeing with Harris about everything live in major cities mostly on the coasts in only a handful of states.

She'll probably win the popular vote by a significant margin even if she loses the electoral college.

[mockbee]

Many years ago I pointed out that Americans (people in general, really, but the United States has a deeply religious and historical component to it that makes it stand out among Western democracies) are racist to a degree, but they're way more misogynist. That's a statistical point. And in Harris, we have a combination of Clinton and Obama with a kind of Biden-esque centrist boringness that makes it extremely difficult to imagine her winnng over "undecided" voters.

True, all people are racist to a degree - really more than a degree in most parts of the world. And yes we're more misogynist than racist. I would also say a majority of women here very much contributing to that misogyny. Trump leads with white women, and that's not just a man, that's Trump.
I think we're misogynist because we are an unsettled people. We seek to hold and retain power, in most all critical venues and ventures. That unsettled power hungry nature is both good and bad, but it is also the reason smart and ambitious people from all walks of life struggle to get here.


Harris is a really bad candidate with a top notch campaign, run by Plouffe. I could see her losing the popular vote, she has really bad numbers in NY State and other "liberal" super states, compared to Biden and Clinton, and is running even now nationally in a lot of polls. Polls were minimum underestimating Trump by 3 to 4 points, up to 9 in Wisconsin, in 2020, after they 'corrected' errors from 2016.

I think if Clinton had run a similar campaign to Harris she certainly would have won. Clinton's not dumb but she ran a dumb campaign twice. It's ironic, people vote based on identity, but as soon as you point that out, you lose.

[MicrowavedGerbil]

women vote most...and in private...shouldn't be close...but have def been wrong before! we'll get just what we deserve...

I have a gut feeling Reps take it. The country has been asking for Trump.. they got him. Kamala wasn't even in the picture until what.. 2 months ago? Young male voters (18-25) have statistically been pro trump thanks to tiktok culture) and this is the year it's predicted that a wave of new gen voters blossom...

[mockbee]

So how are people feeling about the upcoming election?

Bored, annoyed, a little nervous, terribly anxious?

Anyone feeling hopeful and/or inspired?


You'd think by the media, and I mean all of it, -MSM, independent outfits of all persuasions, podcasts, advertising etc.- who are going bezerk about the stakes of the election, we are at the crossroads of maintaining civilization.

Mostly I find people pretty much resigned to whatever happens and wanting to avoid the whole thing altogether, but also generally anxious about how the opposition is going to react to the results.

Like mentioned above, I think we will get what we deserve. We will either opaquely muddle through the status quo, or we will overtly stumble through attempts to reform the government. Both not terribly different from US adminstrations of the past.

[blackcoffee]

So how are people feeling about the upcoming election?

Bored, annoyed, a little nervous, terribly anxious?

Anyone feeling hopeful and/or inspired?


You'd think by the media, and I mean all of it, -MSM, independent outfits of all persuasions, podcasts, advertising etc.- who are going bezerk about the stakes of the election, we are at the crossroads of maintaining civilization.

Mostly I find people pretty much resigned to whatever happens and wanting to avoid the whole thing altogether, but also generally anxious about how the opposition is going to react to the results.

Like mentioned above, I think we will get what we deserve. We will either opaquely muddle through the status quo, or we will overtly stumble through attempts to reform the government. Both not terribly different from US adminstrations of the past.

Um. Not terribly different from US administrations of the past? Watching the news with respect to what Trump and his cronies say openly, it feels nothing like the past. I'm not affiliated with either party, and I've only been allowed to vote since 1/20, and I've always landed left of the the democratic ticket but supported them over kooks like Jill Stein or Republicans.

I'm feeling hopeful that Harris has more support overall. I suspect it will inevitably be close, but I'm cautiously optimistic she'll prevail.

[MicrowavedGerbil]

I'm concerned.. I voted blue. But racism is real... It's not that I'm against republican stances. Its trump I have an issue with. It's mind boggling ANYONE would accept a rapist, racist criminal. He's so fucking far right that nazis fucking support him. I agree with Dan Cleary, it's no fucking accident_Coincidence.. nazis fucking coming out the closet lol fuck trump..

[mockbee]

Congrats on securing your right to vote blackcoffee. Don't know what kind of struggle that may have been to acquire that, but sounds like you are a true patriot, in the most humble and honest use of that term.

I've never voted for a Republican in my life, including this election and typically sided with Dems in the past. Even canvassed for Nader in 2000. Dems have lost the plot though with siding with both Cheneys and other neocons. Especially considering the last two open primaries leaned heavily towards Sanders.

I do agree the hyperbole, rhetoric and baiting is certainly off the charts compared to any contemporary US election, including the last two. The threat of some nutjob individual or isolated group violence is real, as already evidenced with assasination attempts and the violent storming of the Capitol. It is crazy that we are at this point with these two candidates.

Most important thing in my mind is that every effort is made for a free and fair election. I'm sure there will be heated conflicting narratives along the way, but I have faith our constitutional process is strong enough that we will ultimately get there. Contrary to the polls, I see the vast center of this country making a clear choice, but we'll be fine either way.

[Hype]

The Democratic Party leaning into the Cheneys and whatnot is very clearly an attempt to use Trump's hyperradicalization of the Republican Party to court moderate Republicans into voting Democrat. It's Biden/Obama/Clinton style Democratic politics where you insist on unity and bipartisanship, even to your own policy detriment.

It also makes the claims that Harris is a "communist" look incredibly stupid to anyone with half a brain.

[Larry B.]

It also makes the claims that Harris is a "communist" look incredibly stupid to anyone with half a brain.

I mean… that claim is stupid enough by itself, isn’t it?

[Hype]

It also makes the claims that Harris is a "communist" look incredibly stupid to anyone with half a brain.

I mean… that claim is stupid enough by itself, isn’t it?

Yes, of course. But when you pile on the bipartisan/centrist shit it makes it look even worse. I guess the people saying it just really don't care, though. It's all

[MicrowavedGerbil]

Welp.. it's almost time

[Artemis]

Choose wisely, friends. 🥺

[MicrowavedGerbil]

Choose wisely, friends. 🥺

Those words have lost meaning